To the outside world, careers in local government can often be seen as steady, with perceived perks like good holiday allowances, maternity pay and pension plans perhaps making it a very attractive profession in the long-term.

Whether or not this is still true in reality is another question, but the fact is that very few people go into a career in local government with an accurate idea of how what they earn will reflect their level of experience, say five, 10 or 15 years down the line.